Herbal tea was a big part of my journey back to health. About 10 years ago, I developed crippling nerve pain. It was caused by excess inflammation.
My condition is not supposed to be curable.It came on very fast. It progressed at lightening-like speed.
Within a matter of months, I went from living a normal life to being barely able to hobble around my kitchen. I envisioned what the rest of my life would be like, riding in a wheelchair.
Health Benefits of Herbal Tea
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Fortunately, I had access to excellent medical care. This didn’t mean drugs and invasive inconclusive tests. Instead, I saw holistic healers. They prescribed herbs and homeopathy.
Oftentimes, I drink my herbs in a tea. This is considered one of the best ways to reap their healing benefits. It’s believed the warm water helps your body assimilate the beneficial compounds. One of my favorite herbal remedies is Indian tulsi tea. It comes from a plant that’s also known as holy basil. It is highly regarded in Ayurvedic medicine. That’s why it’s also referred to as “The Queen of Herbs.” Later in this article, I’ll tell you more about this healing plant.
Health Benefits Drinking Herbal Tea
Victoria Zak, author of 20,000 Secrets of Tea: The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature’s Healing Herbs, explains that drinking medicinal tea is the most effective, as well as the easiest and safest way, to enjoy the benefits of herbs.
She points out that drinking tea is a very natural way to take an herbal remedy. For one, you’re not mixing it with anything else that can interfere with its action. In fact, she notes, the warm water actually helps you absorb the remedy better.
Zak notes that the water dilutes the herbs so they can be delivered to the parts of the body where they’re needed. Therefore, we are taking these natural medicines in a way in which the body is accustomed to, as it normally assimilates food and drink.
The book 20,000 Secrets of Tea is a good herbal manual for beginners. It contains extensive information on how to match the best remedies with common ailments.
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Herbal Teas for Inflammation
Medical plants contain natural anti-inflammatory compounds. My condition is fueled by chronic inflammation, so I need to keep this under control.
Certain botanicals, such as tulsi, are believed to be very good at controlling inflammation. Consequently, I plan to take this natural remedy, in some form, for the rest of my life.
Used in India for thousands of years, tulsi is becoming very popular in the West. It’s also starting to be studied by modern researchers. One paper published in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology noted that tulsi has been found to offer a number of potential benefits, including the ability to reduce excess inflammation. This plant is also believed to contain powerful anti-cancer compounds. Much more research is needed, because most of this evidence is from a laboratory, rather than a clinical setting.
However, I’ve decided not to wait. Tulsi seems to help my health. And it has a long track record of success in India.
I do take capsules that contain tulsi and other herbs. But my very favorite way is to drink it. Stash brand tulsi with lavender, shown here, is absolutely delicious. I like to drink this herbal blend before I go to bed, because its two ingredients seem to help me sleep.
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Even though more research needs to be done on live human subjects, tulsi has been used for ages in India to treat a wide range of conditions. It’s considered an herbal adaptogen. This is a category of plants that seems to help mitigate the effects of physical and emotional stress.
Adaptogens are often recommended for people who suffer from adrenal fatigue. I was diagnosed with this as well, but seem to have recovered.
Honeybush Tea Health Benefits
Another of my favorite herbal teas is honeybush. This comes from a South African shrub that the European colonists turned to as a substitute for tea. This reddish tea has a delicate, sweetish honey-like flavor. It’s even better if you add a little honey to the mix.
This tea is red, similar to the more widely known rooibus tea, also native to South Africa. Honeybush only grows in certain coastal regions of South Africa. This healthful tea contains a variety of nutrients, such as iron, magnesium, copper and manganese. I like to drink it at night as well, since it doesn’t contain caffeine. This is another herbal remedy I’ve used to help wrestle my inflammation under control.
Traditionally, honeybush tea has been used to treat coughs and upper respiratory infections. This tea is rich in antioxidants and it also contains natural anti-inflammatory agents, according to the health authority site Livestrong.
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Never before have we had such easy access to tea from all over the world, as well as easy-to-reference information on their uses and potential medicinal benefits.
So drink up.
Disclaimer
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. People with health concerns should discuss them with a doctor. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use herbal remedies, unless under the direction of a health care professional.
I’m not a healthcare professional, so all of the above statements are my personal opinion, and are not intended as medical advice.
